Josh Rouse Live Review @ Academy (Oxford) - 07 Dec 2007
Josh Rouse
Live Review
Josh Rouse is my most watched act. I believe this was the 6th time I have seen the man perform live, and 3 of those were in Oxford - a fact I can wear with pride after he announced this was his fourth time playing the venue. Of course, 'the venue' has changed, with the personality of the Zodiac being replaced with the generic Carling Academy monika, though with as many live dates as the man as, I can't imagine he noticed the tiny differences in decor and atmosphere.
And the atmosphere was terrific. Although Rouse failed to sell out the venue as he would have expected to at the height of 'Nashville's' success, he still has a enthusiastic collective of hardcore fans aiming to ensure him a lucrative retirement when he finally hangs up his guitar and often frail sounding singing voice. With the crowd in fine form, and lapping up every song played, it was hard to see anything going wrong.
Sadly, the setlist tried its best to burst that bubble. Although largely made up of solid material from '1972' and 'Nashville', the music from after that period lacks the same nostalgic, sincere sound that made Rouse's early work so appealing. This was slightly disguised by the man's desperate neglect of his back catalogue: no songs were played off 'Under Cold Blue Stars' or 'Home' (even 'Directions', featured in Vanilla Sky and an encore staple was unceremoniously dropped), and the only two songs off 'Dressed Up Like Nebraska' ('Late Night Conversation' and the title track) were played in quick succession, only serving to underline their superiority over his later works.
There were still some magical moments - 'My Love is Gone' is still a wonderfully crafted wistful pop song, and 'Giving it up for Good' provides a perky sing along, but even the encore of 'Sad Eyes', virtually guaranteed to give an audience goosebumps, was needlessly debilitated by some awkward showboating, as the whole band paused and encouraged applause and cheers at the peak of the bridge leading to the final dramatic chorus.
What I was left with was a show that was technically brilliant, with a reasonably good set list and an atmosphere which will have left first time visitors tripping over superlatives. Having seen the magic of Josh Rouse's earlier performances perhaps one (or five) too many times I'm left feeling slightly jaded. If you'd never seen Rouse perform live before, you'd be left thinking 4 or 5 stars would be harsh but as I have, 3 stars is the best grade I can honestly give.
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